Disposable safety razors have been available for some time. The most commercially successful disposable razors are plastic, injection-molded devices. While such disposable razors generally provide satisfactory shaving performance, these devices do include several disadvantages. For example, the design of each razor is relatively complex and includes several interlocking pieces such as the handle, razor head and blade guard, which must be molded separately and assembled along with a blade. This adds to the expense of the product. In addition, the injection molding process itself has several drawbacks.
The equipment needed for injection molding is quite costly and requires a considerable degree of upkeep and maintenance. This is particularly true when considering the small tolerances needed to efficiently mass produce an injection-molded razor. In addition, the process of injecting and hardening a plastic in a mold takes time, and production is limited further by the number and complexity of the molds. Finally, post-injection molding processes including trimming, flashing and degating add further time constraints and expense to the manufacturing process.
In addition to the disadvantages of injection molding, currently available disposable razors are no more compact for efficient storage during shipping and travel than standard, reusable safety razors.
One method of making disposable razors more compact for storage has been the design of foldable or "match book"-type razors. Despite numerous attempts to design such a "match book" disposable razor, each such design has been flawed to the extent that no design has achieved any notable commercial success.
The flaws of these "match book"-type disposable razors generally fall into two categories. Many of these devices are simply too pliable to maintain the precise shaving head angle needed for safe use. In an effort to provide the proper shaving head angle, many of these devices add a degree of complexity which includes the introduction of several parts and even resort to the use of injection molded components as supporting means. Of course, these measures add considerably to the cost of the product.
In addition, adhering the blade in a stationary position so it will not shift during use is a problem. In many of these devices, this is accomplished through use of a separate, external connecting means such as staples or pins. Again, such additional components can add considerably to the cost of such devices.
Thus, a need exists for a "match book"-type disposable razor which provides the necessary blade adherence and stability of the blade head angle to ensure a safe shave while avoiding costly production steps such as injection molding or the combination of multiple of parts.